‘Common Ground’

Common Ground is a long-form documentary photography project exploring the role of nature, community, and companionship in the lives of people living with dementia.

Centred around In Jolly Good Company, a Dorset-based charity providing support to people with dementia through inclusive activities that nurture creativity and connection. The project follows the rhythms of the growing season within their shared allotment at the National Trust’s Kingston Lacy estate. It documents the people who gather there, including volunteers and carers, who come together to dig, plant, share a cuppa and spend time in the fresh air.

Through candid portraiture, details, and environmental scenes, the work highlights small acts of care and the importance of being seen and included. It reflects on the therapeutic value of gardening, the emotional resonance of place, and how shared routines can bring comfort and continuity. There is a warmth within this community: laughter rising between garden rows, songs and poems shared, stories told. The atmosphere is filled with generosity and joy, leaving all who visit feeling positive and uplifted.

Dementia affects nearly one million people in the UK, a number set to rise steeply in the coming decades. Many live at home with family support, often feeling isolated, disconnected, and distanced from familiar routines and purpose. The condition doesn’t only affect memory, it can alter mood, challenge physical ability, and erode a sense of identity.

Research shows that gardening and access to green, therapeutic outdoor spaces can boost mood, reduce stress, and stimulate cognition. In environments designed with care, people with dementia engage more fully, feel calmer, and often require less medication. Small moments, podding peas, a seed sprouting, the smell of earth, can offer profound comfort.

For carers, the allotment becomes a place of solace, where their loved ones feel valued and involved in ways that matter. For those living with dementia, it provides structure, sensory richness, social connection, and gentle movement. Together, these experiences nurture well-being, offering joy and belonging in a world that too often defines dementia by what it takes away.